School District 
#261

Board of Trustees present:  Zone 1 Liz Bingham, Zone 2 Peter Gibbons, Zone 3 Jeff Schroeder, Zone 5 Staci Leavitt. Board of Trustees not present: Zone 4 Annette Lott. Others present: Superintendent Brent Johnson, District Clerk Jodi Stewart, HR Director Gina Cakebread, Transportation Director Tim Hicks, Federal Programs Director Kim Lickley, Special Services Director Toni Harbaugh, Technology Director Theo Whitfield, District Social Worker Rachel DelValle, Terrance Handyside, Matthew Tipton and PJ McGuire with SSC Services, Scott Brown with Charter Impact (Virtual), community members, teachers and staff.

1. Call to Order 4:30 p.m.

   1. Pledge of Allegiance - Jeff Schroeder

   2. Waive reading of the minutes of the previous board meeting as submitted to each board member.

   3. Approval of Agenda (Action)

A motion was made by Staci Leavitt and seconded by Peter Gibbons to waive the reading of the minutes of the previous board meeting and approve the agenda as presented. The motion passed by the following:

AYE: Liz Bingham

Peter Gibbons

Jeff Schroeder

Annette Lott

Staci Leavitt

Individuals who wish to address the Board of Trustees regarding any action items must sign in prior to the start of the regular board meeting at 4:30 p.m. and placed before each action item on the agenda.

2. Jerome School District Presentations (Information):

   1. Rachel Delvalle Special Report

   2. Tim Hicks Transportation Staggered Start Presentation

      1.  Proposed Start and end times for the 2027-2028 School Year (Information)

Grade Level Minutes First Bell Dismissal Bell

Elementary 355 7:30a 2:46p

Middle School 347 9.10a 4:19p

High School 379 9:00a 4:33p

3. Toni Harbaugh

   1. LEA Determination Letter

3. Consent Agenda (Action)

   1. Approval of Previous Minutes

      1. June 23, 2026

   2. Personnel Changes 2026-27 SY

   3. Financials - June Financials will be presented for approval on the August agenda (Information)

A motion was made by Staci Leavitt and seconded by Annette Lott to approve the Consent Agenda as presented. The motion passed by the following:

AYE: Liz Bingham

Peter Gibbons

Jeff Schroeder

Annette Lott

Staci Leavitt

4. Approval of Bills: June Bills will be presented for approval on the August agenda (Information)

5. Scheduled Visitors: There are no scheduled visitors for the July agenda. (Information)

   
   

6. Correspondence from the Board (Information)

   1. Trustee Committee Report

      1. Staci Leavitt

         1. Teacher Leadership Team

      2. Jeff Schroeder

         1. Wellness Committee 

         2.  Facilities Committee

      3. Liz Bingham

         1. Policy Review Committee

         2. Legislative Update

      4. Peter Gibbons

         1. Foundation Committee 

         2. Safety Committee

      5. Annette Lott

         1. Curriculum Committee

7. Reports to the Board (Information)

   1. 2026-27 Goals

      1. District Goals

      2. Director Goals

8. Board Business 

   1. Continuing Business

      1. Policy (Action)

         1. 7400P3 Miscellaneous Procurement Standards - Requirements and Restrictions for Procurement Under a Federal Award - Competition (2nd Reading Action)

         2. 7400P4 Miscellaneous Procurement Standards - General Procurement Standards for Federal Awards (2nd Reading Action)

         3. 7403 Procurement of Goods and Services for School Meal Programs (2nd Reading Action)

         4. 7430 Travel Allowances and Expenses (2nd Reading Action)

         5. 9100 Acquisition, Use and Disposal of School Property (2nd Reading Action)

         6. 9400 Safety Program (2nd Reading Action)

         7. 9700 District-Wide Asbestos Program (2nd Reading Action)

A motion was made by Staci Leavitt and seconded by Jeff Schroeder to approve policies 7400P3, 7400P4, 7403, 7430, 9100, 9400 and 9700 as presented. The motion passed by the following:

AYE: Liz Bingham

Peter Gibbons

Jeff Schroeder

Annette Lott

Staci Leavitt

2. New Business

   1. Approval of the proposed levy language for the November 2026 election as presented (Action)

A motion was made by Staci Leavitt and seconded by Peter Gibbons to approve the proposed levy language for the November 2026 election as presented. The motion passed by the following:

AYE: Liz Bingham

Peter Gibbons

Jeff Schroeder

Annette Lott

Staci Leavitt

2. Approve authorizing the District administration to proceed with the removal of the Community Eligibility Provision (CEP) at Falls City Academy, Horizon Elementary, and Summit Elementary if the schools' Direct Certification is below 55%. (Action)

A motion was made by Peter Gibbons and seconded by Annette Lott to approve authorizing the District administration to proceed with the removal of the Community Eligibility Provision (CEP) at Falls City Academy, Horizon Elementary, and Summit Elementary if the schools' Direct Certification is below 55%. The motion passed by the following:

AYE: Liz Bingham

Peter Gibbons

Jeff Schroeder

Annette Lott

Staci Leavitt

3. Approval of the Updated Contract with SSC (Action)

A motion was made by Staci Leavitt and seconded by Jeff Schroeder to approve the updated contract with SSC. The motion passed by the following:

AYE: Liz Bingham

Peter Gibbons

Jeff Schroeder

Annette Lott

Staci Leavitt

4. Consider and approve the declaration that an area of need exists for the 2026–2027 school year as presented (Action)

   1. Kindergarten Teacher at Frontier Elementary School

   2. DLI Spanish 5th Grade Teacher at Jefferson Elementary School

   3. Music Teacher at Summit Elementary School

A motion was made by Staci Leavitt and seconded by Annette Lott to declare that an area of need exists for the 2026-27 school year in the schools as listed.  The motion passed by the following:

AYE: Liz Bingham

Peter Gibbons

Jeff Schroeder

Annette Lott

Staci Leavitt

5. Approval of Staggered Start Times for 2027-28 school year for Transportation (Action)

Public Comment on agenda item:

Matthew Searby

David Ellis

Lisa Driscoll

A motion was made by Staci Leavitt and seconded by Peter Gibbons to approve implementing Staggered Start Times for 2027-28 school year for Transportation. The motion failed by the following:

Nay: Liz Bingham

Peter Gibbons

Jeff Schroeder

Annette Lott

Staci Leavitt

A motion was made by Peter Gibbons and seconded by Staci Leavitt to table the implementation of staggered start times for the Transportation Department for the 2027-2028 school year until the September 22, 2026, Board of Trustees meeting. The motion passed by the following 

Nay: Liz Bingham

Peter Gibbons

Jeff Schroeder

Annette Lott

Staci Leavitt

6. Approval to authorize the administration to proceed with listing for sale Horizon Elementary vacant field adjacent to Tiger Drive (Action)

(Approval of this item authorizes the administration to complete the necessary preparations, including obtaining any required appraisals, meeting all legal notice requirements, and taking all other actions necessary to collect bids. Selected bid will be presented to the Board for final review and approval before a transaction is completed.)

A motion was made by Staci Leavitt and seconded by Annette Lott to authorize the administration to proceed with listing for sale Horizon Elementary vacant field adjacent to Tiger Drive.  The motion passed by the following:

AYE: Liz Bingham

Peter Gibbons

Jeff Schroeder

Annette Lott

Staci Leavitt

9. Trustees Agenda and Meeting Planning

   1. Meeting and Calendar Schedules (Information)

      1. All five (5) Trustees have all confirmed they will attend the 2026 ISBA Convention in Boise scheduled for November 4th-6th.

         
         

10. Audience of Citizens (Information) -  There were no additional citizen sign-ins for public comment on non-agenda topics. 

    
    

11. Executive Session (Action)

    1. IC 74-206(1)(b)(d) – Personnel or Student.

       
       

       (b)To consider the evaluation, dismissal or disciplining of, or to hear complaints or charges brought against, a public officer, employee, staff member or individual agent or public school student; and (d) to consider records that are exempt from disclosure as provided in Chapter 1, Title 74, Idaho Code.

A motion was made by Staci Leavitt and seconded by Jeff Schroeder that the Board of Trustees of Jt. Jerome School District #261 recess into executive session in the manner and for the purpose authorized by Section 74-206(1)(b)(d), Idaho Code, regarding personnel issues involving employees or student issues involving students of the district. The motion passed by roll call vote: 

AYE: Liz Bingham

Peter Gibbons

Jeff Schroeder

Peter Gibbons

Staci Leavitt

The board recessed into executive session at 6:53 p.m.

The board returned to open session at 7:50 p.m.

12. Consideration of Personnel Executive Item(s)

    1. Accept recommendation of district admin to dismiss Classified Employee P2627-01 (Action)

A motion was made by Staci Leavitt and seconded by Peter Gibbons to approve the recommendation to dismiss classified staff employee P2627-01. The motion passed by the following:

AYE: Liz Bingham

Peter Gibbons

Jeff Schroeder

Peter Gibbons

Staci Leavitt

2. Approve Certified Employee Release from 2026-27 Contract Request (Action)

A motion was made by Staci Leavitt and seconded by Jeff Schroeder to release Certified Employee P2627-02 from the 2026-2027 contract, contingent upon the hiring of a suitable replacement. The motion passed by the following vote: 

AYE: Liz Bingham

Peter Gibbons

Jeff Schroeder

Peter Gibbons

Staci Leavitt

13. Adjourn (Action) There being no other business before the board, Chairman Liz Bingham adjourned the meeting at 7:48 p.m.